At first the elk, named Shooter, appeared to be dipping his face and nose in to the trough in an unusual way. Zoo staff at Pocatello Zoo in Idaho weren’t too concerned but did find the behaviour strange.

So Shooter started dipping his paws in, a seemingly bizarre action, but it turned out to have been part of a scheme to get a drowning marmot in to the middle of the trough so that he could get hold of it.

Kate O’Conner, Pocatello’s education co-ordinator said
“Shooter is such a huge animal – he stands at six feet tall without his antlers, which are another four feet – and he’s pretty scary,” said Kate O’Conner, Pocatello’s education co-ordinator.

“Some of the staff don’t like going in his enclosure with him – he’s punctured car tires with his antlers before, so to see him being so gentle with a little animal was heart-warming. We all know he’s a real character, but I think he must have a soft side we didn’t know about.”

Zoo director Steve Ransom did want me to let everyone know that they have now placed wildlife ramps in the troughs so animals can get in and out without fear of drowning. Shooter has also shed his antlers. They will be auctioning them on eBay next week to raise funds for a new natural grizzly bear exhibition at Pocatello Zoo.